Domestic Violence

Love Never Harms

Even after many efforts to put a stop to the horrid occurrences of domestic abuse, the problem persists, it has not been resolved much less fixed entirely. In 1996 more then 1,200 battered women shelters were registered across the United States. In Utah alone, according to the Utah Domestic Violence Council, 2,224 women, 45 men, and 1,958 children were sheltered in 16 emergency domestic violence shelters in Utah, thats a total of 4,227 people helped. So what is this telling us? What do we need to do in order to lower those numbers and have safe environments for all of our citizens? We know that there are shelters to help those in need, but what if the abused spouse

is not accepted to the shelter due to overcapacity of the facility? That victim is then forced to go back to the place where they attempted to flee from and are left with the feeling that there is no help. If the victim returns to the abuser, the situation at home could become worse for trying to leave and the never-ending cycle will continue until that person ends up severely injured or dead. So why dont we stop for a second and think about real solutions that will target the root of the problem, instead of just dealing with the consequences. Could we offer more education about this problem and raise our children with a more solid idea of disapproval for domestic violence. Are we really doing enough

History of domestic violence/abuse

Domestic Violence dates back to as early as 753 B.C. In Rome, domestic violence was accepted and condoned under the law. This law stated that the husband had full authority to physically discipline his wife and also granted permission to the husband to beat his wife with a rod or switch as long as its circumference was no bigger then the girth of the base of the mans right thumb, hence The Rule of Thumb. When the first settlers in America arrived their laws were based on old English beliefs, however the early states worked towards making wifebeating illegal. Its not until 1871 that Alabama declared this tradition illegal; more states adopted this law and more severe penalties and punishments were enforced against abusive spouses. In 1950, during the Civil Act Movement, the country was faced with a major domestic abuse problem; this became a very important period for the feminist movement. After years of fighting for more equality between women and men, the
3

country has made domestic abuse illegal and punishable with jail time.

What is domestic abuse/violence?

Domestic abuse is a bad cycle that can be very hard to get out of once you're in it. It starts with the abuser lashing out with aggressive behavior towards the victim. Then the abuser feels guilt, not for what they have done, but because they might get caught. The abuser will then come up with excuses or blame the victim for why they lashed out in the first place. The behavior of the abuser will return to "normal" and will do whatever they can to keep the abuse victim from leaving. They then start to fantasize plan abusing again. They then set up their victim so that their plan or fantasy can come true.

Its time to change things, to educate our community and to help everyone understand that Love Never Harms.

Domestic abuse in Utah

The problem here in Utah is that people don't know where they can get help and how they can get out of bad relationships; as a result, 28 domestic violence related deaths have occurred from July 2010 to June 2011.The first thing a victim must do is to just leave without telling the abuser because they might convince the victim to stay. Its advised that you refrain from going to a friend or family member's house; go to a domestic violence shelter. A domestic violence shelter will be able to help in figuring out a plan and advise of what all needs to be done to maintain safety and distance from the abuser. If people

would start doing this more then there would be few and few deaths from domestic violence. Another problem Utah faces in regards to domestic abuse is that shelters are not big enough for every victim to go to. People are getting turned away because there's just not enough room in the shelter for them. In 2008, 76,767 people stayed the night at a shelter for domestic abuse. In 2012, the number of people staying the night at a domestic abuse shelter increased to 108,377. In 2012 the Deseret News reported that the number of domestic violence deaths has reached an epidemic proportion according to the Utah Domestic Violence Council. Peg Coleman, the counsels executive director, said that most domestic violence crimes are underreported and the majority are generalized as offences committed by men. Utahs rates of rape and domestic violence are higher than the national average! But these statistics come down 4

Women who suffer domestic violence have double the rate of mental illness and binge drinking as other women, and parents who suffer abuse or harm from their spouse often say that their children and infants are too young to understand, which is simply not true. Young children and infants are far more aware of their living surroundings that we predicted. Parents who model healthy behavior for resolving arguments children will carry that behavior into schools and communities, as well as their own adult relationships. Children who are exposed to domestic violence over a period of time can develop many psychological

Adverse Childhood Experiences Study conducted by the Center for Disease Control noted the effects of child abuse and exposure to domestic violence leads to antisocial behavior problems during adolescence. It is estimated that 3.3 million to 10 million children are exposed to domestic violence in their home. Several studies have demonstrated that exposure to domestic violence in children can lead to numeral psychological problems including anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder, and nearly 40% of Utahs homicides are related to

In 2011 23-year-old AshLee Bambrough was beaten and pushed out of a moving vehicle traveling 65 mph by her boyfriend. She was hospitalized for 6 days with a skull fracture and other severe injuries to her face and back. She suffered from brain damage and continues to suffer from short-term memory loss, dizziness, and headaches. According to the charge documents, her boyfriend Brandon Sloper, 25, was driving her to work in Layton when he decided he no longer wanted her working there because she would be working around racial minorities. AshLee hopes that her story will help others who are trapped in abusive relationships and to spread awareness of dating violence. Often times young adults trapped in abusive relationships will excuse the way that their significant other is treating them. Our campaign is bringing awareness to those who do not have the voice to speak up against their abuser because love never harms.

Solution to domestic violence/ abuse

In order to begin solving domestic violence, we have to bring awareness of what domestic violence is, who can be a victim, who is affected by domestic violence, what people can do to prevent abusive relationships and how to get out if youre already in a bad relationship. Writing will be an essential element to be able to inform society of the dangers of domestic violence. We will utilize writing to create an informative brochure and to provide information regarding domestic violence on our website Love Never Harms. Writing will help bring awareness to society of domestic abuse, and assist in providing information to victims. Our plan is to bring awareness to society of what domestic violence is and what can be done to help solution

victims to centers where they can obtain assistance and help determine if you are a victim of domestic violence. Our purpose is to help people determine if they are in danger of being a domestic abuse victim, and to assist those who are already in this dangerous situation. We intend on making society more aware of this problem so that it becomes easier for people in this problem to seek for help. Our response to the problem of domestic violence is primarily to inform people of the issue. To be able to define what domestic violence is so that people can identify it. Once people can identify that they might be in an abusive relationship, then they can seek proper assistance. Some of the solutions we provide are listing associations where you can seek help, such as loveisrespect.org. Since domestic violence affects more than just the two partners in the relationship, our targeted audience is everyone. Everyone in the community should be informed of what domestic violence is so that they may be able to identify people in bad relationships and offer help or empathy to the victims. Also, since domestic violence can also affect children, family members, neighbors, etc. it is important for those people to know how to obtain help.